Update: The Awry Lake wildfire remains about 4,084 hectares in size thanks to cooler weather, which has prevented fire growth. The fire is 41 km from Yellowknife and is not a threat to the city.
NWT Fire says that ground crews have completed 85 percent of helipads to allow firefighters to concentrate on the western and southern edges of the fire. Crews will continue to remove fuels and extinguish hot spots from the fire perimeter today to prevent the fire from spreading.
The Awry Lake wildfire is at about 3,555 hectares in size as rain and cooler temperatures have slowed fire growth within the Awry Lake fire. This fire is still 41 km from Yellowknife and remains a non-threat to the city.
A fire behaviour analyst from Ontario arrived at the fire Tuesday and twenty more Ontario firefighters arrived yesterday to assist in the fire suppression efforts.
Thursday’s burn off on the eastern perimeter of this fire was successful to stop fire spread past the perimeter control lines. Yesterday’s objective was to further reduce fuels between the perimeter control lines and the edge of the fire. Once this has been achieved, the fire response will focus on the west side of the fire.
Sprinklers have been installed on a nearby NTPC emergency shelter as a preventative measure. The current fire danger rating for Yellowknife is low.
